India is all focussed to become an economic super-power where parents send their young ones to schools and colleges, hoping that they become great engineers and doctors one day. Mothers boast to each other how much marks their children scored in their exams. Our country, according to me, will soon end up with the smartest minds. Where your priorities are, there your success will be also.
It always looks great from the macro-perspective. Sadly, if you'd focus in a little closer, the view is very different. The sme mothers complain that their players aren't doing a good enough job at the Olympic games. The kind of explanations they come up with is wild! "We are just not as fit as the Chinese or the Blacks. They are made out of rubber and stone respectively!" "Our country is too corrupt to send in the best" (which I would agree to) "The government hardly does anything" "We are not good at sports"
Well, actually, duh, we are good at sports! I'm sure there are one or two Indians somewhere who can swim faster then Phelps! (Ok, a bold statement, but it's possible, you know considering all the strong fishermen on India's huge coastline. The governemnt also does as much as it can to make sports popular. The only reason why the best sportsmen give up the game is because there's no money in it. There's a limit to the love of the game. Me for instance, though only 22, have retired from competitive volleyball. I have become too old to feel the thrill of winning. (There was a time when I would train 6 hours a day!) It's only when you realize that even if you play for the country one day there's no chance of earning a decent livelyhood, do you give up the love for the game.
Also, many parents discourage sports. A friend of mine (sportsperson) joked saying that maybe in China one mother might ask the other how many sports her son played!!! Well, Chinese readers, please respond! Interestingly, as loudly as India might cheer for other sportspeople who risk their livelyhood on a pitch, ring or court, they would never dare to sacrifice their children on that same altar!
Our country, whether we like it or not, is a spectatorial country when it comes to sports. Though we might cheer for all those who make it to the newspapers, we will be ready to condemn anyone who tries to get there. Those who have won medals this year, enjoy the praises of those who did not approve their efforts when they were trying. It only makes the the olympic gold gleam brighter. I think, in spite of the fact that no matter what happens, the number of olympic medals we bag this year will be restricted to single digit numbers, the entire team that consistently shed sweat and blood for years and years to get here have not just trained their bodies to push new heights, but have also fought against an unsupportive society along the way.
Shouldn't we be ashamed of ourselves?
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